Two different systems for implementing Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) for air traffic control are available for commercial aircraft today. The first CPDLC system is referred to as the Future Air Navigation System (FANS), or FANS CPDLC. FANS based applications are typically implemented on an aircraft's Flight Management Computer (FMC), also referred to as the Flight Management System (FMS), and communicate with air traffic control (ATC) stations using text based messages communicated over the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS). The second CPDLC system is implemented over the Aeronautical Telecommunication Network (ATN) via an aircraft's Communication Management Function (CMF) and is commonly referred to as ATN CPDLC. Use of FANS CPDLC versus ATN CPDLC on an aircraft is largely based on geographical considerations such that an aircraft that travels from and to a FANS CPDLC region to and from an ATN CPDLC region would greatly benefit from being able to support both CPDLC systems.
There are problems that arise however when both FANS CPDLC and ATN CPDLC systems are available to an aircraft's flight crew. First, creating a single integrated solution that manages and provides both CPDLC options has proven to be expensive to design and implement as compared to non-integrated solutions. Second, FANS and ATN CPDLC systems both require a logon (AFN logon or CM logon) and share “alerting” approaches when a CPDLC message is received from a ground controller. In cases where the CMF supports an ATN CPDLC application and an independent FMC supports a FANS CPDLC application, members of the flight crew may become confused as to which system to logon to and which system to access after getting a CPDLC alert. Also, with a non-integrated system, it is potentially possible to establish two different CPDLC current data authority (CDA) air traffic control (ATC) connections, one CDA ATC connection with each CPDLC application, at the same time. This presents a potentially dangerous situation because, by regulation, an aircraft is not permitted to have two CDA ATC connections concurrently, as that means two different air traffic controllers are in charge a single aircraft. Such a configuration may further face regulatory certification issues if not resolved and could also create training and flight work-load issues.
For the reasons stated above and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the specification, there is a need in the art for improved systems and methods for managing non-integrated (CPDLC) systems on a single aircraft.